“Operation did not complete successfully because the file contains a virus or potentially unwanted software” error removal

Learn how to remove popup alerts saying ‘Operation did not complete successfully because the file contains a virus or potentially unwanted software’ in Windows.

Antivirus software isn’t a cure-all these days and cannot prevent all attacks imaginable, but it’s certainly worth having on board a computer. When a security suite is non-intrusive and silently does its protection job, that’s the best case scenario but at the same time something that only exists in theory. False positives are among the scourges of modern cybersecurity services, where AV tools overact in their endeavors to keep customers safe. This is what some malware analysts say in regards to the frequently reported popup alerts saying, “Operation did not complete successfully because the file contains a virus or potentially unwanted software”. These errors typically splash when a user is trying to copy files from a thumb drive to a Windows 10/Vista/7 machine (or vice versa), during attempts to install a random third-party application, or in the process of data backup to external storage media. However, in this case the margin might be thinner than straightforwardly blaming the popups on an antivirus solution.

This type of a warning message is tolerable as long as the cause actually comes down to the presence of malicious code. This way, a security solution may try to thwart the expansion of malware attack surface, so the system will interrupt the action and present an apropos dialog. Things get frustrating, though, in case of a false positive that hinders normal computing experience. The overwhelming majority of the “Operation did not complete successfully because the file contains a virus or potentially unwanted software” alert occurrences are associated with overprotection by the OS native Windows Defender tool. The red flags might be wrongfully raised on clearly benign executables, including regular sync processes and PowerShell-based routines.

These irritating splash screens additionally indicate a specific error code, such as Error 0x800700E1, 0x80070643 or similar. In a worst-case scenario, every attempt on the user’s end to run any .exe or .dll object will be accompanied by such an outright blocking. Of course, this is a major issue that renders a computer nearly useless by preventing people from launching programs, copying files or maintaining backups. Unfortunately, the fix is hardly ever prosaic. In many situations, temporarily disabling Windows Defender does the trick, at least to complete an otherwise terminated operation. Also, sometimes installing the latest malware definitions will remove the false positives if the rectifications are made and rolled out by the security provider.

Meanwhile, there are predicaments where the “Operation did not complete successfully because the file contains a virus or potentially unwanted software” alerts are actually generated because of virus activity. The caveat is that it’s difficult for the average user to work out whether they are dealing with false alarms or a real malware incursion. If Windows Defender, or whatever AV suite is reporting the errors, is turned off to let the transaction complete, and if there is a severe cyber threat trying to take root in the system, the problem is going to assume much more harmful hues than the mere annoyance. Therefore, in order to build the right strategy regarding these popups, it’s necessary to determine what it is that’s causing them – a mistaken detection of normal software, or interception of dangerous malware. The following tips should help sort it out.

Use Control Panel to get rid of the “Operation did not complete successfully because the file contains a virus” popup alerts

• Open up the Control Panel from your Start menu in Windows and select Uninstall a program

• To facilitate the process of locating the threat, sort the programs list by date to get the latest ones displayed at the very top. Look for a suspicious entry under the Name column, select it, click Uninstall and follow further directions to get the removal done.

Automated removal of the “Operation did not complete successfully because the file contains a virus” alerts

Owing to an up-to-date database of malware signatures and intelligent behavioral detection, the recommended software can quickly locate the infection, eradicate it and remediate all harmful changes. So go ahead and do the following:

1. Download and install the antimalware tool. Open the solution and have it check your PC for PUPs and other types of malicious software by clicking the Start Computer Scan button

Download error popup virus remover

2. Rest assured the scan report will list all items that may harm your operating system. Select the detected entries and click Fix Threats to get the troubleshooting completed.